The Role

Due to continued expansion we have an excellent opportunity for a confident and dedicated Veterinary Surgeon to join our team at Congleton Veterinary Centre. The role is varied and includes consults, routine appointments/vaccinations, administration, hospitalised patient care and Theatre. Time within each discipline is divided evenly across the whole team, however should you have either a surgical or medical bias, then we will accommodate this as fairly as we can. When in Theatre, surgery begins as soon as all patients have been admitted and we ensure discharge appointments are from 5pm, giving patients extra recovery time. Prior to Covid and our locked door policy, we offered a daily Cat Only consultation hour (2-3pm) and this is likely to be reinstated once our normal working systems resume.
• Salary £33000-£50000pa DOE
• 4-day working week (40 hours), with additional day off in lieu of weekend worked, plus early finish the following Monday (6:00pm)
• Weekday hours 8:30am-7:30pm (last appointment 6:15pm)
• 1:5 weekends (Sat 8:30am-4:30pm with 2nd vet until 12:30pm, Sun 9:30am-1:30pm).
• Bank holidays on a shared rota basis (opening hours and staffing levels as for Saturdays, 8:30am-4:30pm).
• No OOH, except for end day cases (on a shared rota basis)
• OOH service provided by Vets Now, Macclesfield.

About Us

We are a very friendly, approachable, supportive team and cannot wait to find a like-minded individual with a positive mental attitude and outgoing personality to work alongside us. We are located on a busy retail park, surrounded by established residential areas and within easy walking distance to nearby shops, a pharmacy and post office – ideal for lunchtime errands. There are also fabulous restaurants on the precinct – great for practice social events (once Covid restrictions are lifted!) The interior of our retail unit is purpose built and we are continuously developing to accommodate our growing practice and development needs. We use modern, up to date equipment, including dental radiography, digital x-ray processing, ultrasound, a fully equipped internal laboratory, electrocautery, tonometry and doppler blood pressure monitoring. All of our sedated/anaesthetised patients are monitored with capnography/ECG/pulse oximetry/blood pressure/temperature. We have also recently invested in a CT scanner as part of our local group of practices. We are always looking to improve our skills and services, and later this year we hope to invest in endoscopy, as well as digital ECG and a cardiac probe for our ultrasound machine.

Preventative care is a key focus for the practice and the whole team works together in promoting and implementing our Pet Health Club, Weight Clinics and Senior Clinics. We are continuously sharing ideas and learning, both on an ad hoc basis, as well as structured Clinical, One-to-One, Practice and Significant Event meetings. Our dental cases are performed in a two-stage process, with dental x-rays being included with all first stage dentals.

We are an RCVS Accredited Small Animal Practice and are Cat and Rabbit Friendly Silver Award holders. We have achieved Platinum Status through Compassion Understood. Our six nurses are all qualified and Registered, and they are supported by three nurses in training. Our practice ambulance is fully kitted out with in-built kennels, so that patients can be safely and comfortably transported, when necessary.

We are a 5-vet practice, with very low staff turnover and are seeking an additional (rather than a replacement) vet due to our increasing client base and caseload. We have been part of IVC’s New Graduate Academy for the past 5 years and three of our vets have joined us via this route. One graduate of the Academy is now undertaking an Apprenticeship Masters in Advanced Veterinary Practice. The other is progressing to her PgC in Small Animal Surgery. We are heavily focused on staff well-being and development and support each other as much possible.

We have a good relationship with local practices and referral centres and use the services of peripatetic surgeons when we can, for increased in-house case management and learning opportunities.

Applicant Requirements

We are looking for an experienced RCVS Veterinary Surgeon who is an excellent team player, effective communicator with a positive, motivated and friendly attitude. Due to our busy caseload, you should be confident with routine surgery and be able to perform these on your own. You should also have had experience with more complex surgeries and be familiar with the anaesthetic and surgical requirements of these. Your consultation and time-management skills should be excellent and an interest in a specific area is a bonus.

Our current vets have interests in medicine, imaging, surgery, emergency and critical care, dentistry, cardiology, acupuncture, and exotics. We will eagerly consider a candidate with other interests (feline medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, nutrition etc.), however will be equally happy with someone who has shared interests, as this can only enhance our capabilities and performance in these areas. Regardless of interests, you should be thorough, efficient and well-organised. Be keen to add to our team with regards to new information, protocols, skills and a willingness to share information and ideas with less experienced (albeit very capable and competent) team members.

Providing support to colleagues, especially those less experienced, is key to our work ethos and any new team member should be willing to provide such support, just as it will also be available to them.
We are keen to nurture the careers of all of our staff members, and so further qualifications and/or career development will be actively encouraged and supported.

Our aim is that once you join us, you'll never want to leave!

Benefits
• 5 weeks paid holiday not including bank holidays
• 5 days paid CPD leave
• £1250 CPD Allowance per annum
• Private Medical Insurance
• VDS Membership paid
• BVA Membership paid
• Service based holiday entitlement increases
• VDS cover
• Enhanced maternity, adoption, shared parental leave and surrogacy pay
• Enhanced paternity pay
• Birthday leave
• Discounted veterinary fees
• My Benefits – various discounts including retail & gym memberships
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Pension
• CPD/training support
• Paid bereavement leave
• Company sick pay
• Employee opinion survey
• Free uniform in a number of roles
• Annual pay reviews
• Social events
• Sponsorship for overseas employees
• Academy & Leadership courses
• Focus on employee wellbeing
• Relocation packages
• Career progression opportunities
• Free flu jabs

As a BAME and LGBT+ inclusive employer, we are keen to hear from candidates from all minority and diverse groups. As a Disability Confident Employer we are keen to hear from candidates with disabilities and long term health conditions, and would be happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process.

If this position is of interest to you then please get in touch.